Unit
6 of the Intensive Sommelier Training at the International Culinary Center
covers Germany and Eastern Europe in four days. The first two days cover
Germany and the final two cover Austria & Hungary and Greece & Eastern
Europe. On Day 1 we had an overview of German wine and learned about 2 of the
13 Anbaugebeits - the Mosel and
Rheingau. In this post I’ll cover what we learned on Day 2, an overview of the other
11 Anbaugebeits – Rheinhessen, Pfalz,
Ahr Valley, Nahe, Franken, Mittelrhein, Baden,
Wurttemberg, Hessische Bergstrasse, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen. I will then
cover the learning objectives and provide a review of the 9 wines we tasted in
class.
Rheinhessen
The
Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest recognized wine region in terms of acreage (26,500 hectares / 65,482 acres cultivated) and it is the second
largest in production. The region is bordered by the Nahe to the west, Pfalz to
the south and the Rhine River to the north and east. The topography consists
primarily of rolling hills that run along a large plateau which is surrounded
by forests that protect the vineyards from the inclement weather.
The region
has various soil types which enable wine growers to plant both white and red
grape varieties. The most widely planted are Müller-Thurgau (a cross between Riesling and Madeleine Royale)
Silvaner, Riesling, and Scheurebe (a cross between Riesling and Silvaner) for
white wine production and Dornfelder
for red wine production. The Rheinhessen is home to 3 Bereiche, 24 Grosslagen
and more than 400 Enzellagan.
Pfalz
Pfalz
was known to English-speakers as the Palatinate and
officially named the Rheinpfalz until 1992. It borders the Rhine River to the
east and France to the south, the southern tip of Pfalz is close to the
northern vineyards of Alsace. Pfalz is the second largest Anbaugebeit in terms of
vineyard acreage which are planted to volcanic slate soils. It produces both
white and red wines. The white grape varieties include Riesling, Scheurebe, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Müller-Thurgau and
the primary red grape varieties are Spätburgunder (Pinot
Noir) and Portugieser.
Ahr Valley
The
Ahr Valley is a small region of 558 hectares (1,380 acres) of vines as of 2008.
The region is located between 50° and 51° north, which makes it the most
northern region dominated by red wine grapes in the world. Despite its northern
latitude it has a “Mediterranean” microclimate.
Most vineyards are located on
terraced slopes facing southwest to southeast along the middle and lower
portions of river Ahr for 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from Altenahr to the
Rhine. The vineyards are protected from cold winds by the Eifel Mountains. They
are predominantly devoted to red grape varieties which account for 86% of the
vineyard area, which is more than in any other German wine region. Ahr consists
of a single Bereich called Walporzheim-Ahrtal, only one Grosslage (Großlage) called Klosterberg, and 43 single vineyard sites. The
dominate red grape is Spätburgunder. Other grapes in very small portions (less than 10%) include Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Portugieser, Frühburgunder (a
mutation of Pinot Noir), and Dornfelder. They also produce a very small amount
of two lesser known grapes, Domina and
Regent. Domina is a dark-skinned variety of grape created by German
viticulturalist Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding
in the Palatinate in 1927 by crossing Blauer Portugieser and Spätburgunder. Regent is a dark-skinned
inter-specific hybrid grape variety. It was created in 1967 by Professor
Gerhardt Alleweldt at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding by
crossing Diana (a cross between Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau) with the
interspecific hybrid Chambourcin, another lesser known grape that is a French-American interspecific hybrid grape variety who parentage is
unknown.
Nahe
The
Nahe is west of Rheinhessen and it is named after the Nahe River which runs
through the region. Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Dornfelder are the most widely planted varietals. Wines from this
region are traditionally bottled in tall slender bottles made from blue glass. The
best wines can be found in the villages of
Schlossböckelheim, Oberhausen, Niederhausen, Norheim, Bad Münster, and Bad
Kreuznach which line the banks of the Nahe River. The best wines are made from
Riesling which are generally sweet. The rich, sweet
Prädikat wines of Dönnhoff are the most well-known, expensive wines of the
Nahe—especially those sourced from his monopole vineyard Oberhauser Brücke and
Hermannshöhle in Niederhausen.
Franken (Franconia)
Franken has a cool climate and is centered
along the Main River as it flows westward from Bamberg toward Frankfurt, to the
east of Hochheim.
While Riesling has difficulty ripening here the Silvaner grape
grows well providing smoky, full, mineral-tinged dry white wines. But Silvaner
was surpassed by Müller-Thurgau in plantings in the mid-20th century. Würzberg
is Franken’s wine center; the vineyard Stein within Würzberg lends its name to
“Steinwein” - an old nickname for Frankish wine. Almost all Franken wine
is dry, and some excellent Grosses Gewächs Rieslings are now being produced
along with a small production of Spätburgunder
and Frühburgunder, an early-ripening
strain of Pinot Noir. Traditionally, the wines of Franken are bottled in the
squat, flask-shaped Bocksbeutel. There are two conflicting claims of the origin of the name
Bocksbeutel. While there is no dispute that the word Beutel refers to
some sort of container there are two views as to what the “bock” refers to. One
theory is that the word “bock” refers to a “book” (buch) and the Bocksbeutel is reference to the bottle looking like a
bag used for carrying books. The other theory is that the term “bock” refers to
a “ram” (bock in German), hence Bocksbeutel actually means “ram’s scrotum” (or
alternatively “goat’s scotum”) which is supposed to be of similar shape as the
bottle.
Mittelrhein
The Mittelrhein is a narrow Anbaugebiet
following the Rhine River northward past Assmannshausen and Lorch in the
Rheingau. Cultivation in Mittelrhein is particularly challenging as it has the
steepest vineyards in the world, most of which is on
slate planted predominantly to Riesling. Nearly 80% of the wine is either
trocken or halbtrocken. The Hahn Grosse Lage vineyard, a monopole of Toni
Jost in Bacharach, is one of the region’s finest sites. The village of Spay,
near Koblenz, is also the source of some good wines, especially from the estate
of Matthias Müller.
Baden and Wurttemberg
Baden and Württemberg are larger regions in
southern Germany. Baden covers a large area along the French border
and Württemberg is to the east, south of Franken. Both have separate
zones along the Swiss border to the south, on the shores of Lake Boden
(Bodensee). Germany’s warmest winegrowing region, Kaiserstuhl, is located in
Baden. The dominate red grape is Spätburgunder
followed by Trollinger and they produce whites wines from Müller Thurgau but
the region is too warm for quality Riesling. Württemberg produces most of
Germany’s Schwarzriesling, and Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) is also
commonly grown, but few of the wines are exported. Both regions are
dominated by mass production and co-operatives. The Weissherbst (rosé) made from Spätburgunder is a local favorite in
Baden. Schillerwein, a style of rosé produced by fermenting red and
white grapes together from Trollinger, Riesling and Lemberger, is more common in Württemberg.
Hessische Bergstrasse
Hessische
Bergstrasse (Bergstraße) which means
“Hessian Mountain Road” is located in the state of Hesse among the northern and
western slopes of the Odenwald mountain chain. It has
just over 400 ha (988 acres) which makes it one of Germany’s smallest
Anbaugebiets. It is also the only region in the country without a VDP
Grosse Lage site.
About
79% of the vineyards are planted to white varieties, with primarily Riesling
(48%), and 21% are planted red grape varieties of which about 10% is
Spätburgunder. Hessische Bergstrasse is divided into two districts (Bereiche)
- Umstadt and Starkenburg with three collective vineyard sites and 24
individual vineyard sites. The region produces mostly dry wines but does have a
sizable production of Eiswein. The majority of the region’s wine is produced by
a winemaking cooperative based in the city of Heppenheim, to which about 620 of
850 growers of the region deliver their grapes. Because the production is
fairly small and it is close to densely populated areas, most of the wines is
sold locally, so very little is exported.
Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut
The Anbaugebiete of
Sachsen (Saxony) and Saale-Unstrut are located in former East Germany, and were
added when the country was reunified in 1990.
Sachsen is located in the Elbe
River Valley, and is one of Germany’s smallest winegrowing regions. The
most widely planted grape is Müller-Thurgau.
But Goldriesling, which some
theorize that it is a crossing of Riesling with Courtillier Musqué Précoce, but this has not
been verified.
Saale-Unstrut is Germany’s
northernmost winegrowing region which is located at where the Saale and Unstrut
rivers meet. Most
of the region’s 685 hectares (1,690 acres) under vine, 74%
of which is devoted to white varieties with the dominate grapes being Müller-Thurgau and Weißburgunder (Weissburgunder / Pinot Blanc). The region has a cold climate so Spätlese or Auslese can be
produced only in exceptionally warm years and yields are generally low.
Learning Objectives of Unit 6
– Day 2: The Rest of Germany
At
the beginning of class lectures a list of learning objectives is provided to
the students. By the end of the class, the students should have a certain
degree of understanding from their own reading and the lectures and be able to
provide the answers to a list of questions. The Learning Objectives for Unit 6
- Day 2 along with the answers are as follows.
By
the end of class, students should be able to answer the following questions:
(1) Name
the grape for which Spätburgunder is a synonym
Answer: Pinot Noir
(2) Name
the grape for which Weissburgunder is a synonym
Answer: Pinot Blanc
(3) Name
the grape for which Grauburgunder is a synonym
Answer: Pinot Gris
(4) Explain
the cross named Müller-Thurgau
Answer: Müller-Thurgau is a cross between Riesling and Madeleine
Royale.
(5) Define
Liebfraumilch and state where it is commonly found
Answer: Liebfraumilch is an inexpensive
semi-sweet white wine which may be produced in the regions Rheinhessen, Pfalz,
Rheingau and Nahe. The word literally means “Beloved lady’s milk”. The grapes
used must be at least 70% Riesling, Silvaner or Müller-Thurgau, and it must
have 18-40g/li residual sugar.
(6) Explain
the word Bocksbeutel and state where it is commonly used
Answer: Bocksbeutel are bottles that are squat, flask-shaped used for bottling wines
from Franken.
(7) Explain
the term edelfäule
Answer: Noble rot
(8) Name
any 1 Anbaugebiet that is important for red wines
Answer: The Ahr Valley, the dominate
red grape is Spätburgunder.
(9)
Describe the attributes of any wines tasted today
Answer: See below
The Wines
On
the second day of Unit 6 we tasted the following wines from the the rest of Germany:
1. 2011 Weingut Okonomierat
Rebholz Pinot Blanc Dry, Pfalz
This
is a clear white wine, straw in color at the core to a watery at the rim,
day-bright, with medium viscosity. On the nose it is clean and youthful with
subtle aromas of lemon, apricot and white flowers with hints of cheese rind and
blanched almonds. On the palate it has subtle flavors of white peaches, bees
wax, with subtle notes of white pepper, honey and chives. It has medium+
acidity, medium body, medium alcohol and a medium length finish. A less than
impressive wine, it sells for $20 per bottle.
2. 2012 Hans Wirsching Iphof
Kronsberg Scheurebe Kabinett Trocken Franken
This
is a clear white wine, low intensity straw in color, with medium viscosity. On
the nose it is clean and youthful with subtle aromas of canned fruit cocktail,
mandarin oranges, canned peaches, melon, lychee, gardenias and floral soap. On
the palate it has flavors of canned pears, oxidized oranges and it has a
creamy/oily mouth feel. It is off-dry with medium+ acidity, medium body, medium
alcohol, it is moderately complex and a has a long finish. A less than
impressive wine, it sells for $20 per bottle.
3. 2012 Hans Wirsching
Silvaner Estate Trocken Franken
This
is a clear white wine, medium intensity straw in color with a hint of green on
the rim, with medium viscosity. On the nose it is clean and youthful with
subtle aromas of green apples, Concorde green pears, Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit
Chewing Gum, lime sknins and subtle notes of jasmine. On the palate it has
flavors of oxidized peaches, oranges and jasmine. It is dry with medium+ acidity,
medium body, medium alcohol; it is moderately complex and has a long finish. Another
less than impressive wine, it sells for $16 per bottle.
4. 2012 Juliusspital Würzburger
Stein Slivaner Erste Lage Franken
This
is a clear white wine, low intensity straw in color with a hint of green on the
rim, with medium+ viscosity. On the nose it is clean and youthful with subtle
aromas of dried pears, cheese rind, apricots, green stems and a hint of sour
dough. On the palate it has flavors of peach skins, apricot skins, bitter
orange peels, bitter blanched almonds, potatoes and steamed squash. It is
off-dry with medium+ acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, it is moderately
complex and has a long finish. This is a bottle of plonk made from Pinot Blanc
(Pinot Bianco in Italy, Weissburgunder in Germany). It sells
for $13 per bottle.
5. 2012 Rebholz Riesling Dry
Estate Pfalz
This
is a clear white wine, straw in color, low intensity; it is start bright with a
tint of green on a watery rim with medium+ viscosity. On the nose it is clean with moderate intense
aromas of peaches, oranges, canned pears, apricots, lime and floral soap. It
has flavors of yellow apples, pears, lemon-lime, orange peel, green tea, with a
hint of green herbs and a salty minerality. It is dry with medium+ acidity,
medium body, medium alcohol; it is moderately complex and has a long finish. This
wine sells for about $17 to $20 per bottle.
6. 2012 Gunderloch Riesling
Jean-Baptiste Kabinett Rheinhessen
This
wine is clear, straw in color, day bright with low concentration with a green
tint at the rim and medium viscosity. On the nose it has subtle and youthful
aromas of peaches, lime, green apples, apricots, with a hint of green herbal
notes, cheese rind and a stony minerality. It is off-dry with medium+ acidity,
medium body, medium alcohol; it is moderately complex and has a long finish. This
wine sells for about $15 per bottle.
7. 2010 Reichsrat Von Buhl
Riesling Forster Pechstein Grosses Gewächs Dry Pfalz
This
wine is clear, straw in color, day bright with low concentration with a green
tint at the rim and medium viscosity. On the nose it is clean with moderate
aromas of canned peaches, dried mango, dried apricots, dried pineapple, canned
peas, lemon curd, with hints of black tea and petrol. It is off-dry with HIGH
acidity, medium body, medium alcohol; it is highly complex and has a long
finish. This wine was one of the best in the line-up, it sells for about $38
per bottle.
8. 2011 Furst Spätburgunder
Klingenberger, Franken
This is a clear red wine, ruby at the core to
garnet at the rim, low intensity, day-bright with medium viscosity. On the nose
it is clean with moderate intense aromas of strawberry preserves, black
cherries, a hint of cloves, white pepper with a hint of smoke and a touch of
white mushrooms. On the palate it has flavors of strawberry preserves, dried
cherries, minor notes of cloves and, black pepper with a hint of chalk and
stems. It is dry with low tannin, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol and body and
a medium length finish. This wine is a bit too “stemmy” and it seemed like they were
using oak to make up for the lack of freshness in the fruit, but it was an
“okay” wine. It was difficult to find a local seller for this wine but
according to the limited sources on the Internet, this wine sells for about $62
per bottle, which is excessive.[1] In the previous review we
tasted a 2010 Karl Johann Moliter Assmannshauser Höllenberg Spätburgunder Trocken Rheingau which sells for $22 as was on par with this wine, if not even a better wine.
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